agressive behaviors

by Linda
(Bedford, Va. U.S.A.)

I have a male and female Conour Birds. Lately the female especially has become very aggressive when I approach their cage. She exhibits behaviors such as picking up and turning the food bowl over, biting at me when I get near the cage. She is overly protective of the male. Why has she become so aggressive?

Comments for agressive behaviors

All parrots including the Conures are exotic wild animals and once pair bonded with another bird for breeding, they will change back to their wild selves. This is natural and had you done your study before putting them together, you would have not been surprised. Also, it is usually the male who shows most of the aggression when the pair is either breeding or getting ready to. If you are unsure about sex of either one, have an Avian Vet do a DNA test which is the only foolproof way to tell sex.

I suggest you put birds in their own weparate cages because it may very well be that this aggressive bird will turn on the other one in time. Get another cage at least as large as the one they are in. The problem could also be too small a cage which will result in the death of one of the birds. All cages even for one bird need to exceed manufacturer's recommended size by 2 to 5 times. For two birds, double that increase in size. I have two Red-Lored Amazons(smaller species) in a double Macaw cage with a divider in the middle as she is larger than her mate and becomes aggressive with him.

Separate them into cages of their own and save any breeding plans until you have done your study. Before breeding, both birds have to be examined and cleared by an Avian Vet. They have to be in a very large breeding cage with a latched door so the nestbox cam be hung outside with only the hole and perch inside cage. You have to know how to handfeed baby parrot formula using a syringe because some birds do not know how to feed their babies. A gram scale is a must so babies can be weighed everyday. If one of them does not gain weight everyday, then all are sick with bacterial infections and will have to be diagnosed and treated by Avian Vet.

So, until you understand normal, wild parrot behavior and have learned from a breeder how to mix formula and safely feed with a syringe, you are nowhere close to being ready to breed. Your two birds will never be as they were when they were very young. Once the pair bond is formed, they will always be a bit on the wild side. Parrots mate for life, so separating them is also not an option at this point.